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STATES i NITED PATENT OFFICE. 4,

GEORGE W. N. YosT, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., `AND CHARLESy E. MERRITT, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNORs A'ro THE YosT WRITING MA- CHINE COMPANY.

TYPE-WRITINQ MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,324, dated April 14, 1891.

Application filed January 2(7), 1887. Serial No. 224,843. (No model.) v

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, GEORGE W. N. Yos'r and CHARLES E. MERRITT, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, and Springfield, county ot' Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Vriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Previous to our invention the key-levers of existing type-writing machines have generally been made of various lengths and constructed on the principle of either the lever of the second order or'that of the third order, and have had their fulcrums arranged in a straight line transversely of the machine. To this construction and arrangement of key-levers the serious objection exists that in the use of the machine the stem-keys or pushbuttons of the several rows or banks which are connected with the key-levers require, according to their distances from the fulerums of the key-levers and the points at which the type-bars are connected, different applications of power and extents of movement to depress the key-levers and properly elevate the type bars or levers, to which -they are joined, through the intervention of a depending connecting rod or link.

Our invention has for its main objects to overcome the above-recited objections and to provide a key-lever of such a construction that no matter whether it be connected to a stem-key of one bank or that of another of the several banks which constitute the keyboard of the well-known type-writing Inachines it shall have always the same extent of depression and require substantially the same application of power to elevate the typebar during the operation of writing, thus rendering it easier for the operator of the ma-A chine and conducing to greater perfection in the character of the work performed.

To these ends and objects our invention consists, primarily, in a key-lever constructed on the principle of the compound lever, and in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is asectional View of a type-writing machine embodying. our several improvements. Fig.

2 is an enlarged detail View of the compoundl the line y y.

In the several views the same parts will be found indicated by the same numerals and letters of reference.

A represents the frame of the machine; B, the type-lever, type-bar, or type-carrier; C, the connecting-rod; D, the compound lever, and E the finger-key, stem-key, or push-button.

The compound lever D is composed. of two levers 1 and 2 of equal lengths, journaled or fullcrumed, respectively, at 3 and 4 in ears or extensions of a standard or block 5, which is secured by a screw 6 to a base-plate or cross-piece 7, extending transversely of the machine and attached to the frame-Work thereof near the bottom; The levers 1 and 2 are connected at their shorter arms, so as to Work together. In the drawings the connection is shown as made by forming the shorter arm of lever 1 with an elongated hole 8 and providing the shorter arm of lever 2 with a projecting pin 9, which passes through and works along in said hole and serves to vibrate the lever 1 during the movements of the lever 2. The standard 5 is formed or provided with a flange or foot-piece lO to obtain asuitable bearing upon the cross-piece 7,.and

ialso with a lateral hollow or tubular exten- `sion 11Which is threaded at its lower end for the reception of the retaining-screw 6, which passes in from the bottom of the machine.

A light wire spring F is employed for returning the levers 1 and 2 to their normal positions after having been vibrated. This spring is preferably made in one piece and of the shape shown. About midway of its length it is given`substantially the shape of the letter V, as seen at 12, and from this point IOO ,on either side it is curved upwardly to the extremity, Where it is formed intoa hoo'k-li'l'ie' portion 13. Vhen the spring is applied to the levers, the V-shaped portion is preferably inserted within the upper end of the hollow extension 11, which is located equidistant from the fulcrums of the levers 1 and 2, and the free ends 13 hooked to the under sides or edges of the longer arms of said levers. When thus applied, the tension ot' the spring acts to elevate the longer arms of the levers 1 and 2 and depress their shorter arms. At the outer extremity of the longer arm of lever 2 the` stem-keyE is connected. In the arm is formed an elongated hole or opening 14, through which is inserted a Washer or bushing 15, of a length slightly in excess of the thicknessoi` they lever and provided with a central perforation. A bifurcated strap or stirrup 16, with' coincident perforations in the legs, is slipped down over the lever until the several holes in the washer or bushing and in the legs of the stirrup are in line or register, when a pin 17 is passed through them and its ends riveted or flattened down, as shown. The stein-key proper is connected to the stirrup inl any of the known ways.

By making the washer or bushing longer than the thickness of the lever and having it project slightly on each side thereof it Will be seen that 'no precise work is requiredd to properly rivet the pin, for no matter Whether the blows upon the end of the pin be accidentally hard or unduly longcoutinued there will not be any liability of bending the' legis of the stirru p against the sides of the lever'as heretofore.

To the outer end of the longer armof lever j 1 the connecting-rod C is attached through a substantially similar stirrup 18. Thisl arm, like the longer arm of lever 2, is provided with an elongated slot and a perforated Washer or bushing, and the legs of the stirrup are' There exists the objection to this mode of' hanging and pulling the connecting-'rods that the pivotal points or journals of thel type-levers wear away quickly and un evenly', causing a looseness at the joint and a consequent imperfection of Work.

We propose to hang the connecting-rods straight up and down and pull them in vertical lines, and We also propose connecting the stem-keys of the machine so that they shall work in right lines instead of obliquely or in arcs of circles, as heretofore.

By reason of the presence of' the elongated, holes 14 in the levers l and 2We are permite4 ted to effect these desiderata. In order to prevent any lateral movement in either the 'stern-'key or the connecting-rod, we secure a guide-plate G to the frame of the machine y and cause the lower ends of the parts 'men- `#tioned to Work through perforations therein, all as clearly shown. tion to working through the guide-plate G,

The stem-key, in addiprovements, we shall now briefly explain its mode of operation.

Fig. 1, as Will be readily observed, shows only one stem-key, compound lever, connecting-rod, and type-bar, and these parts are all illustrated in their normal positions of rest. It' the stem-key-'E be depressed, its shank will be guided in the perforations in the bridgepiece l-l and guide-plate G, and the longer arm of the leverV 2 will be vibrated downwardly, during which the shorter-arm of said lever will move upwardly, and, through the slot-and-'pin connection, vibrateupwardly the shorter arm of lever 1 and depress the longer armV of said lever to the same extent as that to which thelonger arm of lever 2 is vibrated. D'uring'thismovement of the levers the spring FwillA be bent backwardly, as illustrated at Fig. 2, andthe connecting-rod C pulled down `ina rightline and the type-bar swung upwardly to make the desired impression upon the paperfof the platen, which is purposely omitted to avoid complicating the drawings.

IOO

IOS

our-improved key-lever We propose to have ,improving the working of the machine.

Althouglrwehave shown'only one meansY `of connection between theV shorter arms of the compound lever and onlyfone form of spring for returning said levers to their normal positions, it will be understood, of course, that other means for making said connection andv other'forms of spring differently located maybe employed'without departing from the vmain features of our invention.

What we-claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a type-writing machine, the combinationof a stand,two connected levers fulcrumed on said'standI and extending outwardly therefrom, a ngerkey. connected to one of said i levers, a connecting-rod connected to the `other IIO of said levers, and a type-carrier adapted to be operated by the connecting-rod.

2. In a type-Writing machine, the combination of a base-plate, a stand mounted thereon, two connected levers fulcru-med on said stand and extendingr outwardly, a spring, a fingerkey, a connecting-rod, and a type-carrier.

3. In a type-Writing machine, the combination, with a inger-key, connecting-rod, and type-carrier, of a compound lever pivoted or jonrnaled in a stand secured to a base-plate at the bottom of the machine, and a spring for returning the moving parts, as and for the purpose set fort-h.

4. In a type-Writing machine, the combination of a stem-key, a vertical rigid connecting-rod, a pivoted type-bar, levers l and 2, fulcrumed on a stand, the former having an elongated hole and the latter a pin engaging therewith, and a spring connected to the 1evers, as set forth.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination, with a stem-key, connecting-rod, and type-bar, of a compound lever, and a duplex sprin g connected to the said lever, as set forth.

6. In a type-writing machine, the combination, with a stem-key, connecting-rod, and type-bar, of a compound lever journaled or fulcrumed in a stand and a spring mounted in said stand and connected to said lever, as set forth.

7. In a type-Writing machine, the combination, with a stem-key, connecting-rod, and

G. W. N. YOST. (EI-IAS. E. MERRITT.

Witnesses:

G. M. CHAMBERLAIN, H. A. CHAPIN. 

